Electric drill pipe cleaning attachment



Nov. 11, 1952 c. LARSEN ELECTRIC DRILL PIPE CLEANING ATTACHMENT Filed March 24. 1947 n m g HTTOFPNE Patented Nov. 11, 1952 ELECTRIC DRILL PIPE CLEANING ATTACHMENT Albert C. Larsen si oux City, Iowa 1 ApplicatioinMarch 24, 1947,-Seria1 No.-736,805

1 Claim. 1

My invention pertains to a pipe cleaning device, of that type whereby extended or lengthened plumbin pipes in buildings can be cleaned.

An object of my invention is to provide a special support and bracket whereby the rotating cleaning cable can be driven by means of a standard electric drill type motor.

A further object of my invention is to provide means associated with such bracket whereby the cable can be successively moved and relocked during forward feeding of the cable.

A further object of my invention is to provide adjustable means for maintaining tightness of the belt driving arrangement associated with the above mentioned structure.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, and

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

My invention contemplates the provision of an attachment, whereby an ordinary electric drill or similar arrangement can be converted to an electric sewer cleaning device, thereby providing a simplified arrangement which can be built at a more reasonable cost than the more cumbersome arrangements, and also providing means whereby the drill can be used as a drill or as the cleaning device.

I have used the character I to designate an electric drill having the handle II, the control switch I2, and the twin electric wire lead I3. The character I4 designates the further handle for grasping by the other hand which handle is bolted at I5 to the drill, the character I6 designates the gear box, and the character I I designates the chuck. Attached to the chuck is the small stub shaft I8, upon which I provide the attached V- pulley I9.

I further provide a circular clamp 20 which is bolted at 2| about the forward neck 22 of the drill, and attached at 23 to the clamp 20 is the vertically positioned female tube 24. Threadably attached at 25 to the usual boss 26 provided on the drill is a further cylindrical tube 21. Received within the tube 24 is the male tube 28 which is attached at 29 to the horizontal outer 2 for locking the vertical tubes 28 and 3| in desired position.

Rotatably received within the outer tube 30 is a further tube 34 which terminates in the rear flange 35, and which is attached at 36 to a further V-pulley 31, and a V-belt 38 is engaged with the pulleys I9 and 31. The pulley 31 includes an extended boss 39 with which is threadably engaged at 40 the lock screw 4 I.

A pair of oil holes 42 are provided to maintain a free running engagement of the outer tube 30 and the inner tube 34. Received within the inner tube 34 is the lengthened flexible cable 43 which is attached at 44 to the usual pipe cleaning member 45.

The device is used in the following manner. The member 45 is inserted in the pipe to be cleaned, and the switch I2 is actuated to close the circuit to the motor in the drill, the engagement of the belt 38 with the pulleys, rotating the upper pulley 31 and at the same time rotating the cable 43. Since the screw 4| is screwed down tightly at 46 into firm engagement with the cable 43, the cable will thus be rotated imparting the necessary rotary action to the cleaning member 45. The drill body can then be conveniently manipulated by the operator by means of the handles II and I4 until a section of the pipe is cleaned, and next the cable 43 can be fed forwardly a further distance after loosening the screw 4|, this screw then being re-tightened again and the operation being successively performed until the desired length of pipe is cleaned. The belt 38 can be tightened when necessary, by loosening and then re-tightening the screws 33.

After such use, if desired, the attachments described can be readily removed for drilling or other purposes, although ordinarily in many cases the structure above described will be maintained.

It will now be seen that I have provided the various advantages mentioned in the objects of my invention with further other advantages being apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

In combination with an electric drill, a pair of brackets attached to said drill, a stationary bearing member attached to said brackets, a rotatable 3 sleeve received in said stationary bearing member, a pipe cleaning cable received in said sleeve, means for securing said pipe cleaning cable to said sleeve, and further means for rotating said sleeve from said electric drill, including a pulley attached to said sleeve, a further pulley attached to the chuck of said drill, a belt passing over said pulleys, said brackets including female pipe members, male pipe members attached to said stationary bearing member received in said female pipe members, means for locking said male members to the female members including lock screws whereby said bearing member can be adjustably spaced with respect to the drill, said means for securing said pipe cleaning cable to said sleeve comprising a lock screw threadedly engaged with said sleeve attached pulley adapted to contact said cable for locking said cable with respect to .4 said rotatable sleeve, whereby said lock screw can be loosened and re-tightened for successive feed ing of said cable, and a pipe cleaning member attached at the forward terminal of said cable.

ALBERT C. LARSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,137,033 Thomson Apr. 27, 1915 2,033,670 Auer Mar. 10, 1936 2,154,666 Crane Apr. 18, 1939 2,220,791 McWhirter Nov. 5, 1940 2,426,265 Gavin Aug. 26, 1947 2,467,849 O'Brien et al Apr. 19, 1949 

